An Akatsuki Sohma, NarutoFruits Basket Crossover
by actressforever
Summary: Kyo Sohma and Tohru Honda are best friends who live in Konoha. They are also extremely skilled ninjas and teammates. When a dangerous mission that they can't refuse seemingly seperates them forever, can they deal with the loss of their memories together?
1. Prolouge: Found

**Naruto/Fruits Basket Crossover**

**This is only the prologue, so it won't tell yah much. The characters aren't even mentioned. But if I continue with this, Kyo, Tohru, Yuki, and Shigure will be making appearances as ninjas in Konoha. This story mainly revolves around Kyo and Tohru though! **

**I don't own Naruto or Fruit's Basket.**

Prologue

Zetsu walked through the piles of wreckage and debris, scanning the area where some sort of large building had once stood. He kicked at the scattered papers and wood that was lying about, looking for money or weapons.

"That leader-sama had to choose US to go on this pointless mission, didn't he?" his black half said spitefully, while kicking over a dusty plank of blackened wood. "Look at this place! Everything is burned to a crisp."

"We were the only ones left that weren't occupied with catching bijuu. This is only a gathering mission, to see if we can find any needed supplies here." The white half retorted, reaching down to grab a blackened box of money. "See? This money could be salvageable."

"Kakuzu and Hidan should be doing this. After all, that bag of tentacles IS the treasurer of Akatsuki." The black half of Zetsu mumbled, obviously not thrilled to be there.

He walked along, looking for any remains that could be found. Suddenly, he heard a low moan at the far end of the wreckage. Curious, he stepped toward it, noticing that whatever it was that was making the sound was moving.

"Anyone there?" his white half called.

The thing only grunted in response. "It looks like we have to dig it out of that rubble." The black half said, frowning.

Zetsu kneeled down, being careful of the large plant resting on his shoulders. He grabbed onto a large piece of debris and lifted it, exposing the source of the noises. There lay what looked to be a teenage boy, about sixteen or seventeen. His hair was singed and turned black with ash, and searing burns covered his entire body. On his forehead were the burned remains of what looked to be a Leaf Village headband.

'He is from the Hidden Leaf, eh? They must be who messed this place up.' The white half thought.

"Who… who the hell are you…?" the boy managed to mumble, before wincing in pain.

"We could ask you the same question, boy." The black half answered, while the boy's look turned from pained to confused.

"I… I don't know. All I remember is the explosion, and lying here waiting, no wishing, to die. Please sir, I don't know who or …what…you are but…" the boy coughed, blood trickling from his mouth. "Please make this pain stop!"

'Who knows how long the kid has been out here.' The white half thought.

'You know, we could use another subordinate. That Tobi brat doesn't do much and this one seems pretty strong…'

'Hai'

**I know I know this is really short, but forgive me given it is only the prologue! The other chapters will be much longer I promise! Tell me if I made any mistakes, errors, or if I should add anything in. PLEASE REVIEW, I need to know what you think so I can go on with this story :) **

**REVIEW!!!**


	2. Explosion

**Okay so first chapter. Just to let you know, the Sohma family is not cursed with 12 twelve zodiacs (plus the cat), but Yuki and Kyo still don't get along. They also retain their personalities from Fruits Baskets, only with ninjaness thrown in. **

A knock at the door of her apartment woke Tohru from her deep slumber. She glanced at the alarm clock on her bedside table. '_9:00?! I guess I forgot to set my alarm again…' _With a sigh, she slipped out of the bed and slowly walked to the door.

"I'm coming!" she yelled as the visitor knocked again.

Blinking the sleep out of her eyes, she creaked open the door a little and smiled at the impatient looking boy standing in front of her.

"Good morning, Kyo-Kun!" she chirped, and then let out a large yawn.

Kyo smirked, leaning against the wall. "Jeez, it took you long enough. What on earth were you-"he paused, noticing her pajamas and major bed head. "You forgot to set your alarm again, didn't you?"

Tohru smiled sheepishly. "Yes. I'm sorry I made you guys wait. I promise I'll be ready in five minutes." With that statement she shut the door in Kyo's face.

She sprinted around her clean room, tearing a clean, white shirt and jean shorts out of her dresser. Then, while she almost literally threw her clothes on, she ran to the bathroom and put her long brown hair in two pigtails. Then, calmly, she grabbed some money, said goodbye to the photograph of her mother, and stepped out of the door again.

"You're right, that was fast." Kyo commented as they walked down the stairs and into the street below.

"Where are Yuki, Arisa, and Hana? Are they already there?" Tohru asked as they walked along the street.

"Yeah, they said that they were going to order you something. You must be hungry; we didn't get to eat at all yesterday." Kyo replied, smiling down at her.

'Kyo-kun must be in a good mood or something, he never acts like this!' Tohru thought as she spoke. "Yes, I am! Have you eaten yet?"

He shook his head, his orange hair moving along with it. "Nah. The Hokage sent for me this morning, so I still need to go see what she wants. I'll join you girls and that damn rat boy after I'm done though."

"Why did she want you? It's our team's day off, isn't it? Also, would you and Yuki-kun please try to get along? You guys ARE on the same team and in the same family you know?"

Kyo chuckled. "Not a chance. We're like a cat and a rat; we will NEVER get along." He stopped just as they reached the restaurant. "I gotta go; I'll come meet you guys here when I'm done. Save some food for me!" With that said he walked away, leaving Tohru alone, but not for long.

As soon as she walked inside the restaurant where she and her friends were meeting for breakfast, Arisa and Hana grabbed Tohru and pulled the small girl into a hug. "Oh hey guys! Great to see you!"

"Finally, you're here! I was getting kind of worried." Arisa said, letting go of Tohru.

"Nope, I'm fine. I forgot to set my alarm again… Sorry I made all of you wait this long. Are you done eating already?" her mouth was watering from the smell of the food.

She looked to the table where Yuki, who looked a little out of place, sitting there all alone, was sitting. "We've started eating, but Yuki ordered you some food and it still smells delicious." Arisa said, leading Tohru to the table and sitting her next to the boy.

"Rice balls!" Tohru exclaimed when she saw the plate in front of her. "Thanks for ordering breakfast for me. I promise I will pay for my share." Then she hungrily stuffed a rice ball in her mouth.

"Wow, did you and Kyo eat after we got back from our mission yesterday?" Yuki said, smirking.

"Nope. We got back so late after dropping you off at the hospital, I went straight to bed!" she paused, remembering something, "By the way, Yuki-kun, how is your arm?"

He lifted his bandaged right arm so she could see it through the sling that wrapped around his shoulders. "It's healing, but I won't be going on missions for a while. I'm gonna train some more though."

"Good! Kyo and I will need you back as soon as possible." She said, smiling.

"Where is that stupid cat boy anyway? I thought he went to get you." Yuki said, looking around.

"He did, but the Hokage sent for him. He is going to come meet us here later." She explained, reaching for a drink of water. "He should be back soon."

The all ate, talking and laughing, as the time passed. All of them had been very busy with long missions, and this was their first day off in a while. Finally, a familiar red head strode toward the table, scooting into the spot next to Tohru.

"Hi Kyo!" Tohru greeted.

The boy grunted in response, not looking at her or anyone else at the table. Tohru noticed that he strangely looked pale, and when he reached for a glass of water his hand was shaking. "Are you alright? You're not sick, are you? Do you have a fever?" she asked worriedly, reaching up to feel his forehead. His skin was cold as ice and clammy. She let out a little gasp and moved her hand away.

"I'm fine, Tohru. I'm just hungry." He mumbled, smiling a half hearted smile at her and reaching for some food.

Tohru turned away, confused. 'He was in such a good mood earlier today. What happened?'

"What did the Hokage want? It's your day off, why would she call for you?" Hana asked Kyo.

Tohru felt Kyo tense beside her, but he kept on the same smile. "Oh, I just needed to turn in the mission report from yesterday. Also, she assigned me and Tohru our next mission for the day after tomorrow."

"What is the mission?" Tohru asked.

"I'll tell you after breakfast, alright?" Kyo said, somewhat defensively, and then turned back to his food.

The others looked at him for a moment, and then also concentrated on their food. "Did you hear that Shai Yugao was killed on her mission yesterday? She died in that huge explosion at the fire temple that she was guarding with Genma-san." Yuki said, taking a sip of his leek soup. Yet again, Tohru felt Kyo take a sharp breath and stiffen next to her.

"Yeah! Her funeral was today. Poor girl. I helped treat Genma-san in the hospital today and he looked terrible. Her team and family must be devastated." Hana added while Kyo slowly closed his eyes, and put his head down so that his orange hair covered his eyes.

"Well, she knew what the risks were of guarding that temple. But still-"Tohru paused, "It's a horrible way to die. An explosion of all-"she was cut off by Kyo suddenly jumping up, shaking the table violently.

"Excuse me." He choked out, and then ran out of the restaurant.

Yuki and Tohru stood up, calling after their teammate. Tohru started to step out of her place, but Yuki pulled her back. "Don't."

"What the hell was that?" Arisa yelled, causing everyone in the restaurant to look at her.

"I sensed an odd aura from him- he seemed… terrified…" Hana said, looking confused, as Yuki and Tohru sat down again.

Tohru's brow furrowed, concentrated. "He seemed so happy earlier. I … I don't know what happened!"

"Just try to talk to him later; he's probably having another one of his mood swings. Maybe it was the leeks in his soup?" Yuki said to Tohru, trying to be comforting. "Come on; let's finish our food, or what is left of it."

**********************************************************************

"So I wonder what mission Tohru was assigned to." Arisa said, starting a new subject while the four friends walked along the streets of Konoha.

"Also, why are they telling us about it two days before it actually begins?" Tohru asked.

"To prepare, of course." Hana simply said.

"Prepare for what?" All three of her friends said in unison.

"I… I don't know." Hana answered, shrugging her shoulders.

Arisa suddenly stopped and looked at the time. "Awh man, Hana and I have to go help with the chunin exams. Unlike you two we don't have the day off. See you guys later!" With that said, they both walked away towards the academy, leaving Tohru and Yuki alone.

"So Yuki, when are the ANBU exams?" Yuki had been preparing to become an ANBU for months, and the Hokage was finally going to give him his chance.

The grey haired boy frowned. "In a week." He mumbled.

"Oh. But…Yuki… your arm!" Tohru exclaimed, feeling bad for her teammate and knowing full well that he couldn't perform without his sword hand.

"That's why I need to train. I'm going to start training my left arm to wield my sword so I'll be ready for the exams. Actually, that's where I'm headed right now." He smiled. "You better go talk to Kyo, while I train."

"You're right. I'm sure I'll know where to find him."

**************************************************************************

Sure enough, as Tohru walked up onto the roof of her and Kyo's, who lived on the floor below her, apartment building, she saw the boy lying on the shingles in front of her. He was facing the cloudy sky, but his eyes were closed tightly. Thinking her teammate was asleep, and not wanting for wake him, Tohru started to walk away.

"No… stay. Please." The "sleeping" boy whispered, barely audible.

Tohru slowly walked back and sat down next to him. "Are you okay? This time answer truthfully."

Kyo slowly sat up, still avoiding Tohru's gaze. He paused for a moment, and then shook his head. "No. I'm not okay."

"_Hokage-sama?" Kyo said, walking into her office. His sensei, Shigure Sohma and Tsunade's assistant and student, Sakura and Shizune, also stood in the room. "Here is the mission report."_

"_Thank you, Kyo. Now, listen, I have a new mission for you and Tohru Honda, your teammate." Tsunade said, somewhat solemnly. _

"_Now? But, Hokage-sama, it's Tohru and my day off today and tomorrow."_

"_I know. This mission is to be started the day after tomorrow. I just… I just wanted you both to be prepared for it. I think you would need more than two days, but this mission needs to be done as soon as possible."_

"_What do you mean, prepare?" Kyo asked. _

"_Here are the mission details. Shigure?" Tsunade handed them to the jonin, whose eyes widened as he read them. _

"_Hokage-sama; this can't…you…He's only sixteen! He's only a chunin." he studdered. Kyo walked over and took the folder from the man's hands. _

"_What are you shuddering about sensei?"he spat, opening the folder and reading it. "An A rank mission- to gather information from this temple and destroy the rest of what it holds. Collapse the building by…Th…That's impossible. If I did that, destroy this building from the inside, then I surely would…"_

"_Tsunade-sama, you can't mean this is a suicide mission?" Shigure said, looking concerned. _

"What happened? You were fine before you went to see the Hokage-" Kyo cut her off.

"That's exactly why I'm not fine. It's about the mission we've been assigned to." He mumbled.

"What is the mission? If you don't want it, then why don't you just refuse to do it? The Hokage won't mind if it's that bad." Tohru said, still confused.

"Damn. I wish I COULD refuse, but I can't. If I did, some other shinobi would have to take it." He paused, shaking his head. "Listen, before I tell you what this damn mission is, promise me that you won't freak and run straight to the Hokage. This wasn't her decision."

"Whose was it then?"

"The council's. The Hokage didn't want anyone to take the mission, but she couldn't refuse the money or the information."

"Well, what's the mission? What type is it?"

"A rank… it's a…" he swallowed, taking a deep breath. "Our mission is to go sneak into an old temple in the land of Earth that has vital information on other shinobi villages in it that was originally Konoha's."

"Well, won't it be heavily guarded?" Tohru asked.

"Of course it will be; there will be ninja and the whole temple will explode if we set off the alarms. That's why, while you distract the ninja outside, I will go ahead of you and sneak into the temple using my jutsu. I will grab the information that is vital to Konoha, and place it in a safe spot. Then, you'll clear the area and I'll go back and…" he took a deep breath. "I'll set off the bombs inside the building to give you enough time to get back to the village with the information, while destroying any other thing that we don't want anyone to know about."

Tohru looked at him, semi-shocked. "But, if you have to set off the bombs from the inside, that means, during the explosion…"

"It means that I will die in the process." Kyo finished, whispering, looking even paler then before. "It's a suicide mission, for me at least."

**Here it is! This is very long, wow! Review so I can put up the next chapter!!!! Please!!**

**REVIEW!!!!!!!!**


	3. Training

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Fruits Basket! I never have and never will!**

Tohru still stared at him, his words seeming to go right through her. "A…suicide mission? But… but… they can't do that to you!"

Kyo just shook his head, finally looking in her eyes. "No. They can and they will…It…it's too late anyway I've already taken the mission."

Tohru looked down, frustrated. "Oh, but…Tsunade-sama wouldn't let…"

"I already TOLD you Tohru, this wasn't her decision! There's nothing we can do but take the mission. I think you should go see Tsunade. She told me to tell you that once I told you about the mission. Just don't blame her okay?" Kyo mumbled, getting up and walking away.

Tohru stood up and ran to catch up with him, grabbing his hand to stop him. "Wait, what about you?"

He smiled a half hearted smile again. "Don't you worry about me; I'll be fine. I'm gonna go watch Yuki and Shigure-sensei train. I've gotta get my mind of this mission for a little." He squeezed her hand, and then jumped of the roof to the next one, running out of sight.

Tohru sighed, her mind running at twenty miles per hour as she walked down the hall towards the Hokage's office. She reached the large door and paused a moment before knocking. A muffled "Come in!" sounded from the other side of the huge door and Tohru grasped the handle and opened the door.

"Tohru Honda, I was wondering when you would come and see me." The Hokage looked tired as she sat at her desk, which was piled high with paperwork.

"Tohru…" another voice sounded from her right as she walked in. She looked over to see Shigure standing by the window, looking somber.

"Sensei? I thought you were out training with Yuki." He pushed off the wall he was leaning on and walked towards her smiling.

"No, I had one of my good friends take over while I had a chat with Lady Tsunade. I'll be going there as soon as I'm done though."

Tsunade cleared her throat and both of the ninjas looked up. "Sorry, Hokage-sama. Do you mind if I stay here?"

The Hokage shook her head. "No, Shigure, you'd better stay. Now, Tohru, I'm certain that Kyo has told you of your new mission now?"

The girl nodded her head, looking directly at Tsunade. "Yes."

Tsunade took a deep breath. "I know it's a tough one, and you're going to ask me to reconsider giving it to Kyo-or anyone else- but I'm afraid I just can't! The council isn't letting me budge on this one. It's too important of a mission to pass up."

Tohru nodded her head again. "I know, Hokage-sama. I didn't come here to blame you- Kyo made sure to let me know that none of this was your fault. I just want to know if there is any way that Kyo might be spared…after all… he is only sixteen!"

"Tohru does have a point, Hokage-sama- if I may add something. Perhaps, I…"

"Shigure, no. There's no point. I'm sure there is some way that Kyo could live but it would have to be pretty farfetched. The bombs in the temple can only be set off by someone inside of the building. I would have Kyo send a shadow clone to do it, but that boy can hardly make a clone last for five seconds, let alone the time it would take to get inside the building. However, the potential that he could live is one of the reasons why I have you going along with him."

"Why's that?" Both Shigure and Tohru asked.

"Tohru has been studying medical ninjutsu, and is becoming very adept at it! If something were to happen where Kyo did survive the explosion, you would be there to make sure he lived long enough to get back to the village."

"So, I'll have to go back once I deliver the information?" Tohru asked.

"No. I will send another ninja out to retrieve it from you. After that you will go straight back to the temple to make sure the mission is complete."

There was silence in the office for a few moments, as everyone thought of what Tohru might find when she reached the wreckage. Then Tsunade grabbed another stack of papers and the silence was broken by Tohru.

"So, Kyo and I will leave the day after tomorrow and Kyo will most likely die in the process. That's it? There's nothing you can do…" she whispered the last part, fiddling with her shirt.

Tsunade stopped signing the documents and put her head down. "I'm afraid that's the truth of it."

Shigure put a hand on Tohru's shoulder. "Come on, there's no use just standing there looking sad. Let's go see what Yuki's up too?"

The medical ninja nodded and the two walked out the door.

As soon as they reached the street they ran into Arisa and Hana, who looked very tired. "Hey there, Tohru!"

"Hello! Weren't you two supposed to help with the chunin exams?" Tohru asked, falling into step with the two while Shigure lagged behind.

"Yeah, well, today was only the preparation so we got out early. Tomorrows when the real exam starts." Arisa answered.

"Tohru, what's wrong?" Hana asked, looking concerned.

Tohru shook her head vigorously. "N…Nothing! Nothing at all is wrong, why would you think anything is wrong?"

"I sense some weird vibes, coming from both you and Shigure-san." Hana looked over at her shoulder at the man, who was staring solemnly at the ground.

"Nope, everything is fine! We are about to go help Yuki train!"

"Everything better be fine. If not, I'll-" Arisa was cut off by Shigure.

"Sorry ladies, this is where Tohru and I must leave you! Goodbye!" He practically sung, dragging Tohru off towards to training grounds.

After a long walk towards the training grounds that was mostly silent, Tohru finally spoke. "So, who is it that is training with Yuki?"

Shigure smiled. "Oh, he's just a good friend of mine. I gave him one of my books for free and this is his way of repaying me. Also, his students are off training with other people, so he had the free time."

Tohru laughed at him and together they walked towards the training ground, where they could faintly see two figure's sparring, as one watched from under a tree. As they got closer, one silver head stood out from the others: a redhead and a dark grey haired boy.

"Kakashi sensei?" Tohru asked Shigure, who smirked and walked away towards the three wooden posts. Tohru laughed and spotted Kyo sitting under a tree. Instantly she ran to go join him.

"Hey." The teen said, picking at some grass at his feet.

"I talked to Tsunade. You were right, there's nothing she can do…" Tohru mumbled. After a brief moment of silent thinking, she decided to change that subject. "How is Yuki doing without his right arm?"

"Pretty good. Kakashi's teaching him how to spar with it first, use a little taijutsu, and then he will work with the sword. I gotta admit, Yuki's pretty damn good for not having use of his right hand!" Kyo smiled, watching Kakashi and Yuki spar.

"Kyo?" Kakashi said, stopping for a moment and waving a hand. "Why don't you come work with Yuki for a little? He needs a bit of work on his jutsu…"

"What's the point in training?" Kyo mumbled, but Tohru pushed him up.

"The point is to get your mind off it. Now go help Yuki! You know that jutsu better than he does." She said, smiling as he walked off. Then she sat back down at three while the boys talked.

Kakashi, who had been quietly chatting with Shigure, had now made his way to the tree where Tohru sat. "Mind if I sit down?"

"Nope! Go ahead Kakashi-sensei." The jonin sat next to her and sighed.

"How are Sakura and Naruto?" She knew not to mention Sasuke, who had defected from the village a year before.

"Well, Sakura is training for the next chunin exams, and I'm not exactly sure what Naruto is up to these days. He and Jiraiya have been gone for almost a year training." The jonin looked proud.

"So, how's Yuki's training going?"

"Very well! That kid has some talent; he almost came close to beating me."

"So, do you think he will do well in the ANBU exams?" Something flickered in Kakashi's eye for a moment, but was gone once he smiled.

"I believe he has what it takes to make it. Although, I wish he wouldn't join the ANBU, I won't stop him. Was Kyo going to try out the exams as well?"

Tohru hesitated. Kakashi had said "was"; Shigure must have told him about the mission. "Yes, he was going to, but…" she looked down and stared at the green grass. "Our mission…"

"Yes, Shigure told me…"

"I don't know what I'm going to do. If… If Kyo…"

"Tohru, I know what you're feeling, I really do. My whole team is dead. However, you can't blame yourself for whatever happens in a few days, alright? I've seen what that can do to people, and you can't let that happen."

"Kakashi…you…" Tohru stuttered, not knowing what to answer.

"Just trust me. I've been around longer than you have and I've seen my share of troubles. I know what it's like to lose people. Just…" his expression softened, "Don't blame yourself."

Tohru smiled her signature smile at the jonin. "Don't you worry, sensei. I… I won't."

They sat there for quite a while after. Shadows fell over the two and they looked up to see Shigure, Yuki, and Kyo standing over them. "Get up, will yah? It's almost dark."

Kyo looked better, less depressed, his cheeks flushed from the fight. He held his hand out for Tohru and she took it, pulling herself up.

"How would go all like to go get something to eat at Ichiraku?" Shigure asked, walking ahead of them with Kakashi.

"I could use something to eat." Yuki added, looking tired.

Next to Tohru, Kyo looked down. "I'm gonna pass on this one. I've got to get home. There's something I need to talk to Kazuma-san about."

Tohru looked sadly at the boy as he separated from the group and headed home. He had to break the news to his father-figure, Kazuma Sohma, who had raised the young boy.

"Come on Tohru! Stop spacing and let's go before the shop closes!" Yuki yelled. Tohru took once last look at Kyo and ran off to catch up with the others.

**So here's Chapter two of my crossover. Its kind of a filler chapter before the actual mission (which will start next chapter). Yes, Kakashi and Shigure are best friends (Duh, they are sooo much alike!!) So here's a question for ya, should the Sohma's still be cursed with the zodiac or some form of it? Answer and REVIEW PLEASE!!**

**No updates until I get a few reviews!!! If you added this on story alert or favorites, please just review, even if it's just a couple words! Thanks!!!**

**Review!!! =)**


	4. Encounters

**Authors Note!!**

**Okay, so I know it took FOREVER for me to update this. I've been pretty busy with vacations lately, and my parents haven't let me have much time to write. But, here it is! It's kind of filler, sorry, but I think it's my longest chapter yet! The next one will be even longer, I promise. **

**Thank you to my reviewers for all three chapters, there aren't many but they were great reviews, I hope you keep it up: moonshine86, StarsInTheRain, and Reidluver. Thank you guys for reviewing, it really helps!!!! A cookie for all of you. **

**I don't own Naruto or Fruit's basket!!!**

**Here you go:**

Tohru laid awake, eyes open, staring at the white ceiling above her. She glanced over to the window, which now let in little streams of light. Sighing, she stiffly got up and started to get ready for the day. Once she had showered, put her wet hair in two ponytails, and got dressed, she walked out the door. Just before she closed it, however, she realized she forgot to say goodbye to her mom.

She ran back inside the apartment and knelt down at the picture on her bed stand. "Morning Mom. Sorry I almost forgot to say goodbye- I'll never do that again. I've got to go find Kyo now; we've got an interesting day ahead of us."

She could practically hear her mother answer back, "Have a good day then! Be safe," like she always used to. She smiled and practically skipped out of the door, feeling more optimistic about the coming days.

The medical ninja slowly stepped down the stairs and stopped in front of the same door she had knocked on every day. Although it was fairly early, Kazuma Sohma answered the door quickly. He smiled when he saw the small girl, but it was obvious that the man hadn't slept either.

"Tohru, it's good to see you. Come on in." Tohru stepped in and took off her shoes. Kazuma closed the door behind her, his long, silver ponytail whipping to the side.

"Thank you. Where's Kyo?" Tohru asked, looking around the small apartment.

Kazuma smiled a sad smile. "He's still sleeping I guess. I haven't seen him up yet. Yesterday was a rough one for him, and I'm not sure he's looking forward to today either."

"I don't blame him." Tohru said to herself while she walked toward Kyo's bedroom that was down the hall. She silently opened the door a little, peeking in, but saw no sight of Kyo's orange head anywhere.

"Yo." A voice sounded behind her. She shrieked and turned around, tripping over her feet and falling into the boy's arms. He smiled down at her and a water droplet from his freshly washed hair dripped onto her forehead.

"Sorry, are you okay?" he asked, frowning again while setting her upright.

"No, don't be sorry! I'm fine really!" She squeaked, brushing herself off. Kyo smiled and flicked the water droplet off her forehead. "You're up?"

He ran a hand through his wet hair, shaking it so that water sprayed everywhere. "Yeah, I didn't sleep much last night. I had a lot to…uh…deal with. What about you? You usually are never up at six o'clock."

Tohru smiled. "I didn't sleep either."

"Breakfast anyone?" Kazuma called from the kitchen. Kyo and Tohru looked at each other then set off into the kitchen.

"Oh no, you're cooking!? Are you trying to burn the house down?" Kyo yelled, racing into the kitchen with Tohru chasing after him.

Both teens stood in the doorway, wondering if the delicious looking rice, miso soup, and tamagoyaki (rolled omelets) that sat on the table were real. The smell wafting over to their noses was certainly the real thing.

"Wow, Kazuma-sempai. This looks great!" Tohru exclaimed, circling the table.

"Where did you hide the real Shishou? You can't cook!" Kyo yelled while smirking at his "father".

"I…might have asked our neighbor for a favor…" Kazuma said guiltily. "Go on, sit down. Tohru, you're welcome to eat breakfast with us." The three ninja sat down and happily started shoving down the food.

"Hey, Tohru?" Kyo said, getting the girl's attention once she stuffed some rice in her mouth. He was anxiously tapping his fingers against the wood table. "Listen; I've been thinking, and I think we should start the mission today. After breakfast."

"WHAT!?" Tohru yelled, standing up and slamming her palms to the table. "You don't really want to…"

"No. Tsunade called me back last night after I talked to Kazuma. She said that the mission just became even more urgent. Akatsuki is moving again, and they are going to want any information on Konoha they can get. The sooner we get started, the better. I talked to Shishou and he thinks so too."

Tohru looked over at Kazuma, who was looking at Kyo with sad eyes. She looked back at the orange headed boy and nodded. "I guess you're right."

As soon as they finished breakfast, Tohru went back up to her apartment to pack for the mission. She packed all of her ninja equipment: shurikan, kunai, paper bombs, and scrolls, into her Medical Konoha vest, securing it over her white shirt. Then she took all of her medical supplies and put them in another pocket. Last, she took her headband off of her dresser and tied it around her forehead just as Kyo re-opened her door and called her name.

"Ready?" he leaned on the door frame.

She turned around and smiled at him. "Yep! Are you?" He had his vest and headband on, his orange bangs covering most of the metal.

He pushed off the frame and smiled at her. "As ready as I'll ever be."

After walking the three flights down the stairs from Tohru's apartment, the two mission-bound chunin stood at the doorstep to the apartment. Kyo looked up at the towering building above him, and then turned away with Tohru. Just as they were about to walk away, a hand turned Kyo around and pulled him into a hug.

"Good luck, Kyo." Kazuma said, "Do your father proud on this mission. Protect Tohru and your home with all you have." He ruffled Kyo's hair like he was a little kid.

"Dad…" Kyo whispered. He had never really been close to his real dad, and Kazuma was the only parent figure he really knew.

Kazuma smiled and winked at Tohru, giving Kyo one last hug before his mission. Normally Kyo would have squirmed away, not up to the affection, but today he patted his dad's back.

"Goodbye, Dad." Kyo muttered, letting go of his dad and striding off, turning his back to his home. Tohru smiled at Kazuma and ran to catch up with him.

The walk to the gate was a silent one. For once, Tohru didn't know what to say to make Kyo feel better. She put her hands in the pockets of her shorts, and felt something hidden in the corner of the right pocket. She pulled it out, and opened her hand, pausing to look at it. In her hand was a small figurine of an orange cat that had one paw held up as if it were waving at her, its painted maroon eyes glowing in the sunlight. Attached to the back of it was a gold chain that was long enough to be a necklace. Tohru smiled as she kept walking, recognizing the cat as a birthday present her mother had given her. She always kept it with her, even on missions.

She glanced at Kyo beside her. He was looking downward, his hands in his pockets. "Hey, Kyo?"

He glanced up at her. "Hmm? What is it?"

"Well, I found something in my pocket that you might want to-"she was cut off by a voice behind her.

"Tohru, Kyo!" The voice chimed, as the dark haired man strode up to them, fully equipped with his ninja gear as well. "Where are you two off to?"

"Our mission." Kyo stated, staring at the jonin, whose smile faded.

"The Hokage decided that we should head out early." Tohru added.

"So that's what we're doing. We're leaving right now." Kyo finished.

Shigure's expression turned serious, an unusual expression for the jonin. "Well then, good luck. I'll see you when you get back then. Kakashi and I are on gate duty." He looked toward Kyo. "Listen, I have something for you from Lady Tsunade." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, green scroll. He stared at it for a moment, and then set it in Kyo's hand. "Make sure you open this the second before exploding the bombs. I won't guarantee that it'll work- but it's worth a try."

Kyo stared at the scroll in his hands. "What the hell is this thing, Shigure?"

Shigure smiled. "I'm not allowed to tell you. Like I said, I don't know if it will work. I would use it anyway though."

Kyo stared at it for a few more seconds, and then stuffed it in his pocket. "Thanks, I guess."

"Well, I guess you guys better get going then, eh?" Shigure smiled again, looking mischievous. Then he walked up to Tohru and gave her a huge hug, keeping a hold of her while he talked. "Now don't you get into trouble, alright? Come out of this alive or I don't know what I'd do." He finished dramatically.

"Sen…sensei…Sorry, but… I can't breathe." Tohru squeaked, half laughing.

Kyo was fuming. "Hey, you old pervert; get off of her!" he pulled the smirking jonin off and glared at him.

"Now that's the Kyo I know and love!" the jonin practically sung, as he turned his back towards the teens. Pausing, he turned back to Kyo, smile fading, who stood behind him. "See yah kid."

Kyo smiled a half smile at the jonin and turned away, shifting the pack on his back. "Hey, Shigure?"

"Hmm?" The jonin hummed, turning around.

"Tell Yuki…tell him I said bye, okay? Tell him I said not to screw up too bad on the ANBU exams, and to work on that jutsu of his." He was facing away from the jonin, staring off into the distance.

Shigure smiled. "Yeah, I'll tell him."

Kyo started down the road to the gate, walking at a swift pace. Tohru ran to catch up with him, turning to glance back at Shigure once they reached the gate.

The jonin looked back at her and Kyo with worried eyes. Tohru frowned and then set off again. After a few minutes, as they were about to lose sight of Konoha, Tohru looked over beside her to find Kyo at a complete standstill. She walked beside him, facing Konoha.

"Konoha is my home. It's hard to say goodbye." Kyo stated, taking a deep breath.

"Then…" Tohru started, looking at his troubled face, "Don't. Treat this as a regular mission: one where you could live or you could die. No one ever knows going out on regular missions. Say goodbye like you would on those kinds of missions. Anyway, maybe that scroll thing will help."

Kyo smiled, chuckling a little. "Tohru, you've always been the positive one haven't you?"

She smiled back. "That's me! Miss optimistic. Just listen to me and we'll get through this." He laughed and turned around, letting his gaze linger on Konoha before he turned his head.

He took a deep breath and started walking. "Come on Tohru. Stop spacing. We need to focus on the mission now."

Tohru waved her hand in Konoha's general direction and then dashed off to catch up with Kyo. "I wasn't spacing I just-"

"Yeah, yeah, don't give me that. I saw you."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They jumped from limb to limb in almost complete silence for a few hours; it would take them a full 12 hours to arrive at the temple, if they moved all night. Since they left early in the morning, Tohru figured that they would get to the temple by nightfall. 'That's the perfect time for Kyo to use his jutsu.'

They had been running, or well, jumping, for about 6 hours and the sun was high over their heads, causing beads of sweat to run down their brows. The chunin had crossed the border out of the Land of Fire into the Land of Earth without being seen or heard. The trees grew thinner in that area, so they veered off to the right away from the road.

After another hour in the blazing heat, Kyo lifted his hand, signaling them to quietly stop. They knelt down on a mossy tree limb and looked down into a grassy clearing below.

A man with short, blonde hair sat below them in what looked like a camp. There was a small fire and behind it, a makeshift tent.

"He must be traveling." Tohru observed, noticing packs of clothes and food.

"Alone? Outside of the road? Either this guy is trying to get himself killed or something's up." Kyo commented, toying with some bark.

"Well, he doesn't seem to notice our presence while we are right above his head, so he isn't a ninja." Tohru added, trying to shift her position on the branch. "I think we should just move on and-"Tohru's shoes slipped on the moss and flipped her over right into the clearing below. She fell with a loud crash, her forehead protector falling to the grass below from the force, while Kyo silently cursed her klutziness.

"Oof." She muttered, getting up and brushing herself off.

The man, who had obviously been quite startled by the mysterious girl falling from the sky, stood up cautiously while holding a stick from the fire. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

Tohru put her hands out in front of her and backed away slightly. "I'm so sorry. I…"

Kyo dropped down behind her, putting a hand on her shoulder and smiling. "My wife and I are traveling to a village nearby, Pismo, and got a little lost on the way." Tohru's eyebrows lifted at the lie. 'His wife?! Since when?'

He smiled sheepishly and Tohru noted that he must have looked at a map of the area, just in case.

"Yeah, well why the hell were you too in a tree then?" the man asked, still not backing down.

"We climbed up there to see if we could get a better view of the landscape. Then we just kind of went from tree to tree, they are pretty close together, until Tohru here fell." He inclined his head in Tohru's direction, and Tohru noticed that he had taken his head protector off. Kyo stepped forward. "I'm Kyo."

The man backed off now, setting the stick down. "The name's Shai Uneta. Sit down; you must have been traveling for a while."

Tohru looked at Kyo, who smiled and nodded. She gave him a very confused look and sat down across from Shai. Kyo, however, stayed standing.

"Sir, please, have a seat. You must be weary from traveling." Shai pushed, motioning toward the seat next to Tohru. "I have some leftover food here, you may have some."

Kyo nodded his head and knelt next to Tohru. "You go ahead and have some, dear. I'm going to go, uh, take care of some business." Shai chucked. Kyo leaned in and kissed Tohru on the cheek, just like a husband would do. Tohru felt herself automatically blush. "Don't eat the food, just stall until I come back, okay? Have weapons ready in case he does anything." He whispered into her ear, tone serious.

She nodded her head, sincerely confused but knowing that Kyo was serious about what he said.

After he kissed her cheek, he stood up, smile returning, and started to walk away. "I'll be back in a minute."

"A…Alright, dear." Tohru stuttered while letting her hand go up to her flushed face.

"How long have you too been married?" Shai asked once Kyo disappeared past the tree line. He took a wooden bowl, filled it with some rice that had sort of a yellow sauce on it, and handed it to Tohru, who did not eat it.

"Oh. About…uh… a month?" It was almost a question. Tohru was a horrible liar, but Shai seemed to believe what she said.

"Not long, eh? Well that's nice. Whereabouts have you too been living?" He took a stick and pulled out a knife to sharpen it. Tohru, feeling extremely uneasy considering what Kyo had said, reached into her pocket while he wasn't looking and grabbed a few shurikan, hiding them between her fingers.

"Oh, in a small town not far from here." She lied through her teeth, noticing the knife that the man now held in his hands. She could now feel the danger that lay in the air, she had to be careful.

They stayed silent for a moment while the man kept sharpening the stick. "Are you going to eat? You must be starving." Shai said, somewhat monotonously while getting up and walking towards Tohru.

Tohru grasped at the shurikan in her hands and got up as well, dropping the bowl to the ground with a thud. "No, I'm not hungry."

"Oh, well then perhaps-"the man started, but was cut off by a sort of slicing sounds in the air. He grunted and dropped to the ground, shurikan covering his back. Kyo stood behind him, panting and looking worn.

"Kyo, what-?" he cut Tohru off by dropping the other body he held in his hands to the ground.

"Ambush. I was lucky that time, not that it matters. I caught him from behind; I saw him crouched in a bush below us while you fell. They had sensed us all along. I suspect that there is poison in that rice as well." He started walking around the camp, picking up a scroll and reading it. "They were heading to the temple. I'm sure they would have contacted them if we would have kept going. I guess your klutziness helped us this time." He smiled, dropping the scroll.

"So I'm your wife?" Tohru asked, feeling a small blush form again. She silently cursed her face.

Kyo laughed. "Well, it was the first thing I thought of, alright? You're lucky I'm a good liar. It's a good thing your forehead protector fell off." He walked over and picked it up. "Here"

She took it and tied it around her head, feeling comforted by the familiar feeling. Kyo smiled and tied his around his forehead as well. "So, let's get going."

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Tohru and Kyo crouched in some leafy bushes, trying to peer through the dense leaves. Although it was completely dark outside, they could clearly see the looming sides of the temple shining in the firelight from the lamps that that ten or more men guarding it held.

Kyo took a deep breath. "Damn it. This is not going to be easy."

Tohru nodded her head, careful not to rustle the leaves. "Are you sure you can do this?"

Kyo looked down, staring at a patch of dirt. "No. But I don't have a choice. I'm going to give it my all and get this information." He looked at Tohru. "Are you with me?"

She smiled. "Of course. I'll never give up, you know that."

Kyo looked forward again and smirked, the look he always had before a good fight. "They're not paying attention." He started making hands signs. "Let's move!"

**So the next chapter will be the dreaded mission! All of it, so it's going to be pretty long and hard to write. If any of you readers have any suggestions, just review (hint hint) and tell me! I'll listen I promise. **

**I know some of you have put this on story alert, so if you read this, and even if you hate it, please review!!!!!! I'll love you forever if you do. Haha.**


	5. Suzaku

_**Authors note!**_

**_K so I am soooooo sorry that this is up so late! I sware I probably had tons of time to work on it- I just didn't and hung out with my friends instead... :) Well now this one is up and the next one should be up semi- soon after. Here it is! Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter btw. =]_**

_The boy could not remember what all had happened after the half black- half white man painfully picked him up out of the rubble. He had slipped in and out of consciousness for what seemed like days. The pain of his injuries kept him from willing himself back into a conscious state. His mind raced, trying to find memories that were hidden from him. Finally, after many long days, he brought himself back._

"_Kid?" he heard faintly just as he slowly opened his eyes. _

_He let out a groan in response, still feeling extremely disoriented. As soon as he made a noise, he heard a rustle and figured someone had just gotten up from a chair. _

"_Hey? Kid!? Are you awake?" the same voice, this time much louder, rang in his ear. _

_The teen opened his eyes fully and instantly blinked, getting used to the light in the room. He turned his head to the left and noticed that he was in some sort of hospital room: complete with all the essentials. Then he turned his head to where the voice came from. _

"_Damn it, you ARE awake!" The loud voice came from a man in an odd orange mask. Black, spiky hair shot up from behind it. The boy decided that he had seen enough weird people for that day. "Man, I had a bet with Akahana that you wouldn't wake up. Now I owe her…" _

_He was interrupted by the boy's raspy voice, "Who the hell are you."_

_The masked man tilted his head and raised his hand. "My name's Tobi!"_

_The teen scratched his head, "Just Tobi? Don't you have a last name?"_

_It was as if Tobi didn't hear the orange headed boy at all. He leaned in close to the boy. "What about you? I should be asking you who you are! Zetsu-sempai didn't even say anything at all about who you are or what you were doing in a bunch of rubble!"_

_The boy's face turned confused. "I…I don't know…I don't know what my name is. I don't even know if I have a name."_

"_Oh come on, you've got to have a name! Everyone has a name." Tobi inquired, leaning in. _

"_Well, I don't remember mine, okay? I don't remember anything before that damn explosion!" The teen slammed his fists into the mattress, causing Tobi to jump back. _

"_Hey. Hey. Calm down, okay? It's not Akatsuki's fault that you got into that mess!" He put a hand to his 'chin', thinking. "Well it might be Akatsuki's fault, but I don't remember anything about an explosion."_

_The boy frowned, willing himself to sit up. He was stiff and sore, but he realized that most of his wounds had been healed. "Akatsuki?" The name seemed familiar somehow but the boy couldn't pinpoint where he knew it from._

"_Yeah that's the organization that Zetsu-sempai belongs to. The others here like me are just his subordinates, but someday I'll join the Akatsuki too! Just you wait, Orange boy!" At the nickname, Tobi flicked some of the boy's orange hair. "I know, why don't you become one of his subordinates too!"_

"_I guess so…" The boy still was insanely confused and decided to think things over before he made any big decisions. "Orange boy? Can you really not think of a better name then that?"_

"_Well I don't know your real name." Tobi dug his hands in his pockets, then instantly drew one of them back out again. "Hey! I almost forgot about this"_

"_What is it?" The masked man laid out his hand flat and pushed it toward the boy. "Zetsu-sempai told me that he found this clenched in one of your hands!" _

_In his hand lay a small orange cat figurine, with one hand raised up like it was waving. Gold and silver trim traced around it in spirals. Attached to it was a long, gold chain. Kyo reached his hand and slowly took a hold of it, turning it around in his hands. The little trinket seemed maddeningly familiar to the boy, but he couldn't grasp where it was from. "Are you sure this was in my hand? It looks so familiar…"_

"_Can you remember anything!?" Tobi slammed his hands on the bed and leaned in uncomfortably close to the boy. _

_The boy thought for a moment, then shook his head, disappointed. "Nothing." He clenched his hand in a fist around the cat. _

_Tobi backed up, sensing that this boy had a large temper. "Well, I've figured out a name that I can call you, besides Orange boy!" _

_The boy threw a glare at Tobi but the masked man kept going. "I'm going to call you Neko-kun! That cat of yours gave me the idea- since you already seem to love it so much-"_

_Little did Tobi know that the teen had just heard enough. He jumped off of the bad faster than the eyes could see and pinned Tobi against the wall. "Listen, Tobi. If you don't shut your mouth I'm going to-"He was stopped by a knocking on the door. _

"Summoning Jutsu!" Kyo whispered and set his newly bloodied thumb to the ground. A few seconds later, the puff of white smoke cleared to reveal a small, orange cat with maroon eyes.

"Suzaku!" Tohru breathed, almost silently. The cat's head turned toward and he opened his mouth in what could only be described as a feline smile.

"Tohru, it's nice to see you." He purred, then looked around. "Where's the rat?"

"Suzaku. He has a name." Tohru scolded.

"He couldn't come." Was all Kyo said. "He got hurt on our last mission, so he stayed behind to rest and train." Tohru added.

Suzaku nodded, and then turned back to Kyo. "What's up then? What do I need to do _brother_?"

Kyo smiled at his summons. "I need you to sneak past those guys out there and figure out where the information on Konoha is located. After that I need you to report back here and lead me to it."

Suzaku peeked through the bushes, making sure not to rustle any leaves. "Through that door there? Sure, I can do that; no problem."

"Thanks Suzaku. Now, go before they sense us." The cat nodded its orange head and crawled under the bush.

"You haven't told him about this mission?" Tohru asked as the cat walked through the clearing unnoticed.

"It's best that he doesn't know the details. He would make me head right back to Konoha. He wouldn't do what I need him to do later."

"Kyo- I..."

He looked through the bush. "Alright- he's in."

Kyo turned to Tohru. "Alright, here we go. You sneak behind them and come out when I give the usual signal; I'll attack them head on." For any other ninja, attacking ten enemies head on would mean certain defeat and insanity. However, for Kyo Sohma, attacking the enemy head on gave him the advantage. "Make sure you release the genjutsu so you can see me and they can't."

Tohru nodded her head while Kyo made the necessary hand signs. His hands moved in a quick practiced air that was difficult for Tohru to follow. Just as he was about to make the last one, he turned to the girl. "Tohru, go now. I'll attack first." She smiled, nodded her head, and then crawled off, all the while making no noise whatsoever.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Kyo made the hand signs for the Sohma family's jutsu, one he and he alone had fully mastered in his generation. He couldn't hold it for too long- but that didn't matter as long as no one sensed him. He smirked as he felt the genjutsu wash over him, extinguishing any trace that he ever existed. His enemies couldn't see or hear him, but he could see them perfectly.

As he walked into the clearing, he could clearly see the guards of the temple going about their duties. There was about six experienced looking shinobi; he would have to go for them first. However, the other four looked younger than he was and completely helpless. It was all he could do not to laugh; especially at the smallest one- a dark haired boy with purple looking eyes.

He pushed those thoughts out of his head, grabbed for his kunai and rushed toward the first shinobi. Once he made the first move, the others would try to go after him. Swiftly, he cut the old man's throat and tried to do the same to the shinobi next to him. However, the man reacted and blindly swiped a kunai in Kyo's direction. Kyo jumped away, back behind one of the younger men, who met him with a kunai.

Their weapons clashed and Kyo went in to kick his head. The man blocked it with his hand (just like Yuki had done every time- Kyo noted). Finally, Kyo caught the man off guard and kicked behind his knees, causing him to fall.

He knocked the man and the kunoichi next to him unconscious, and then, realizing that he had now been noticed, even though they couldn't see him, lifted up his hand punched the air. After he knew Tohru had seen his signal, he ran towards the older shinobi he tried to fight before. His genjutsu was still holding up, but not for long.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tohru had silently climbed a tree with a good view of the area, and waited for Kyo to make his move. As soon as she saw the first man suddenly fall to the ground, she released the Genjutsu that she knew hung in the air and over Kyo. She blinked and suddenly she could see everything, including the signal that Kyo told her to wait for.

She grabbed her kunai and jumped down right on top of the ninja under the tree. She was met by an attempted punch to the head, but she flipped backwards and dodged it. Then she ran at the ninja and kicked him in the head, sending him flying.

After that, she immediately dispatched the ninja lunging at her from her right side. She wasn't used to having enemies running after her everywhere she looked, but her sensei had trained her for it, so she would be okay. She was the medical ninja in her group, so usually, Yuki and Kyo would do this kind of fighting-Tohru wasn't the type of person to mercilessly kill like this- but Yuki wasn't here and Tohru had to protect Kyo from any harm.

As soon as she finished with that ninja, she ran to Kyo's side. His genjutsu was wearing off; it exhausted his chakra looked like he had just run a marathon and had small scratches all over his arms and face.

"Tohru. Thank you." He panted, and then released the genjutsu, fully showing himself. There were only five more shinobi left and Suzaku wasn't back yet. They had time.

Kyo turned to her, his breathing still heavy. "Let's do this."

Tohru smiled and punched the air. Then the teammates and best friends faced their foes. Kyo raced toward the older, more experienced shinobi with unmatched speed. He was locked in battle with three of them, while Tohru took on the younger two. She quickly knocked one of them, a kunoichi with dark pink hair, to the ground and then turned to the boy, who had knelt at his comrade's side, screaming her name.

"Kalin, Kalin wake up! Please!" Aside from the screaming boy, there were only two shinobi left out of the ten.

He looked younger than her, with chin length dark hair and bright purple eyes. They looked up at her and she felt the guilt in her chest that she always tried to push away. She averted her eyes from his and ran straight towards him with a kunai. He blocked it, pushing against her. However, Tohru was stronger than the young shinobi and she pushed him up against a tree.

"Please, don't…kill…" the boy mumbled, wincing at the knife she held at his neck.

"Don't make me hesitate. Please, I don't want..." she whispered. Suddenly she saw the boy's eyes widen and she felt someone coming up behind her. She quickly knocked the boy unconscious and turned around quickly enough to keep the attacker from stabbing her in the heart. However, the blade kept going and sliced her stomach almost all the way across. She let out a cry of pain and sank to the ground, just in time to see Kyo lunge after her attacker.

**Cliff Hanger :) Don't you love those?**

**_Neko- _It means Cat in Japanese, very fitting! **

**You'll find out why Suzaku calls Kyo brother in a few chapters:) I kinda involved the Sohma curse, but it's a little different. **

**Oh If you watch Code Geass, try to find some of the characters in there :) I was bored and on a Code Geass marathon while writing this- so some of the characters made a little pit stop into this story. I don't own any of them though!**

**K I think that's all. This chapter was supposed to be twice as long but I'm splitting it up into two chapters. Please review- it'll he****lp me get motivated to get the chapters out quicker!**

**REVIEW :)3**


	6. Goodbyes

**Hey everyone!! Long time no see, right? Okay so here I am with the new chapter! This darn thing took me FOREVER to write. Other plot bunnies got ahold of me, and I had finals, and I'm giving way too many excuses. Anyway- it was 12 pages long so here's a long chapter for a long wait. I hope everyone's New Year was great! Mine certainly was. **

**Thank you to Risingwinter, Reidluver, and Kyo Sohma (!) for reviewing this! It means a lot- keep it up guys!**

**Enough about that- here it is!**

"Tohru...? Come on, don't do this. You've gotta wake up right now, damnit!" Tohru heard Kyo's voice, which was somewhat distorted for some reason, yelling very close to her ear.

'Did I forget to set my alarm again?' she wondered absentmindedly.

She slowly opened her eyes, finding the night sky filling her vision. 'How odd... where did my roof go?' Then memories came flooding back to her, of the mission and Kyo, and with them the pain of her injury. She winced, tightly closing her eyes, and brought her hand up to her wounded stomach.

Kyo noticed this and leaned closer, resting his hand on hers. The sudden movement pulled Tohru back into focus and she opened her eyes again. She tried to sit up, but was halted by the shot of pain from her wound.

"Watch it, geez. I've only just now stopped the bleeding. Could you try not to undo what I've just done?"

The medical ninja sat up, this time very slowly, with Kyo's hands on her back helping her. The night was almost pitch black- the only light came from the lamps from the building. She put her hands on the bandages that covered her wound. They were tightly wrapped and slightly uneven, but they did the job. "You mean, you did this?"

The boy nodded, his hair glowing an even brighter orange in the lamplight, and then looked concerned. "Did I not do a good job? Damn it, I knew I didn't, it was enough to stop the bleeding so I thought..."

He was interrupted by the girl's bright smile. "It look's fine, silly!" He breathed a sigh of relief, and then looked embarrassed by her compliment. "Can you help me lean against this tree?" She gestured toward a small birch tree behind her.

"Yeah, sure." He slowly helped her scoot back until she could lean back onto it.

"How long has it been?" Her hands moved to her wound, then started glowing as she used medical Ninjutsu to heal it. She winced at the touch of her own hands.

"Not long at all; maybe ten minutes? Suzaku isn't back yet, and you woke up right after I finished those guys off." He moved his head to indicate the clearing where they had fought.

"You're not hurt, are you?" She inquired, concern showing on her face in the lamplight.

He shifted his weight. "No, just a few scratches, nothing to worry about. How's it healing?" He leaned forward.

"Good, I should be okay to move in a few minutes..." She was cut off by the sound of a door opening.

Kyo immediately jumped up, kunai in hand, peering through the darkness. A voice sounded. "Hey, put that down, brother. It's just me! Don't be scared."

Kyo slowly lowered his knife, letting out a chuckle. "Scared? Of a little cat like you? You've gotta grow a little bit bigger so I can see you, Suzaku."

The cat padded up to them. "Here are the scrolls." He dropped them at Kyo's feet, then turned to Tohru. "What happened out here? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, really." She reassured him, petting his head.

He let out a loud purr and sat down next to her. Kyo knelt down and grabbed the documents, looking through them as he stood back up. "That's everything, thank you Suzaku."

The cat licked his leg passively and stood up. "So I guess that means I'm done here, it was great see-"

"Wait a minute, I'm not done with you." The feline sat back down with a huff and went back to his cleaning. "Tohru, are you okay to travel?"

She hesitantly nodded then opened her mouth to protest. Kyo put his hand out to stop her. "Listen, you know what's going to happen. Suzaku, I want you to stay with Tohru until she gets back to the village."

The cat looked up. "What about you?"

Kyo sighed, then smiled down at the cat. "I'll catch up with you guys later, I've got some matters to deal with here first."

"Well why don't we just wait for you?" The cat was confused, he cocked his head to the side.

Tohru answered before Kyo could, while using the tree to lift herself up. Kyo went to help her, holding her arm. "We have to deliver these to the village as soon as possible." She provided no further explanation.

The cat sighed, then stood up, kneading his claws. "We better go then."

Tohru nodded, somewhat sadly, and then turned to Kyo. "Listen..."

He shook his head, "Please, just... don't. I don't want to say goodbye..." he whispered.

She looked down, then suddenly looked back up and started digging through her pockets. "There's something I want to give you." She held her hand out and opened it to reveal a small necklace, an orange cat on a chain. "My mom gave this to me when I was little. It... it's supposed to bring you good luck. I saw it earlier and it reminded me of you and Suzaku so..."

She handed it to Kyo, who closed his fist around it. "Listen, I can't let you give this to me. It means a lot to you and it's just going to get destroyed."

"I don't care. I... I wanted to do something to help you but I couldn't think of anything until I found this. Maybe, its luck will make you lucky too!" She was giving him the puppy-dog look that no one could resist, especially from Tohru, since she didn't realize she was doing it.

Kyo let out a chuckle, still looking down at the cat necklace in his hand. "Thanks, Tohru. This means a lot." He slipped the necklace around his neck. "You guys'd better leave before their back-up comes looking for them. I don't want either of you to be in danger." He handed the scrolls to Tohru and gave a sort of half smile.

Tohru nodded, her heart felt like it had sunk into her stomach. 'This may be the last time I ever see him.' She thought sadly. She paused for a moment, and then threw her arms around his neck.

Kyo was startled for a moment, but eventually he rested his arms on her back, returning the embrace.

"I... I'll miss you so much," She was sniffling, silent tears running down her cheeks. "We all will."

He smiled into her hair, a small tear running down his own cheek, and pulled away. "Go, before I start having second thoughts."

She wiped a tear off of her cheek and gestured for Suzaku to follow her. They made it halfway across the clearing when Kyo spoke.

"Don't... don't get yourself into any trouble. Tohru, I know you, you won't have me there to tell you when you're spacing out. You'll end up hitting your head or falling into a river...again. Just, try to be safe. Okay?" His face was turned away from her but she could hear the sincerity in his voice. "Besides," he chuckled, tossing the scroll Shigure had given him into the air. He caught it and finished. "I don't trust that damn rat to take care of you."

Tohru smiled. "I'll be safe, I promise. Don't you worry, Kyo-kun!"

Then she and Suzaku left him alone in the clearing, staring at the small scroll that could hold the key to his life.

---

Tohru and Suzaku ran through the dense forest away from the temple. A few silent minutes passed when Suzaku finally spoke.

"So what was that all about?" Suzaku asked.

Tohru, who had been silent up until this point, finally spoke. "What are you talking about?" She looked down at him.

He leaped over a log behind her. "Back at the temple. You and Kyo were acting really strange. I know we had to get away fast... but still, we could have waited for him."

Tohru lowered her head. She was facing away so he couldn't see her face. "There was a reason. I'll tell you when it's done, okay?" She looked back and smiled.

The orange cat flicked his ears back. "Well I'm not one to be patient, but I'll try. So what was with all the hugging, eh? You two aren't..."

Her face flushed a bright red. "No, you've got it all wrong. That wasn't it..."

He smiled his feral grin. "Ha-ha! I knew it! I didn't think that kit had the guts but hey- I guess I was wrong."

Now poor Tohru was a little confused. "He has the guts to do what? Suzaku, you've definitely misunderstood. Kyo doesn't..." She would have continued except the feline was not paying attention. He had leaped past her and out of sight, veering to the left.

Tohru followed him, yelling for him to wait for her. "Hey, Suzaku!? Wait up, what are you doing. The village is the other way, right?" She thought for a minute. 'It is that way, right? Maybe I got lost and he was trying to point me in the right direction. Oh how embarrassing if I couldn't even find my own home!"

She heard a loud hiss from up ahead, a thump, and a yell. She sped up, crashing through the bushes that blocked her vision. The bushes scraped her legs as she leaped over them...straight into a rippling stream.

"Ahhh!" She let out a shriek and jumped up, soaking wet with freezing water.

"Tohru, are you alright?" A voice that was almost certainly Suzaku yelled from the bank. He was standing inches from the water, as close as he wanted to get.

"Oh, Suzaku, there you are. I'm fine, really, just a bit wet. I guess thats what happens when you fall into a stream! I didn't even realize it was there!" She giggled, wading out of the water and onto the bank. "What were you doing, anyway. You just leaped out of sight!"

A drop of water fell from her hair and onto Suzaku's head, who gave a little "mrrw" and backed away, shaking his head to get the offending water off. "This rat here decided to join us. I didn't realize it was him at first, so I kind of attacked him."

"You knocked me into the river without getting your paws wet. How do you do that anyway?" A voice sounded to the right of Tohru on the bank. He was also soaking wet, and was sporting a few fresh scratches. "Miss Honda, we have to talk."

"Yuki!" She rushed over to him, checking him over. "You shouldn't be out here. You have to train and your arm is still..."

He calmly put his good hand on her shoulder. "That's no matter Miss Honda. Tsunade-sama sent me to retrieve the documents and to make sure you were okay." He stepped closer, eyeing her bandages. "You're hurt. What happened? Do I need to take you back to the village right now?"

"Hmmm?" She realized that the bandages that Kyo had so carefully wrapped were still covering her semi-healed wound. "Oh, yes I was, but I've healed it enough to make it back to Konoha in one piece. It was pretty bad at first though..." She thought for a moment, about to add something more to her story before Yuki interrupted.

"Kyo's not here, is he?." He seemed as if he was just observing.

Tohru felt uncomfortable lying to Yuki, but she couldn't let him know what was really going on. No matter how much he hated to admit it, and probably never would, she knew he admired and cared about Kyo. "He... he stayed back to finish something." She managed to say, somewhat sadly.

"Miss Honda, you don't have to lie to me." She stared back at him. 'How did he know? Am I that bad of a liar?'

He continued, "Shigure told me about the real mission."

Tohru now looked shocked. "How?" She and Kyo had done everything they could to make sure Yuki didn't find out. She knew that if he did, he would rashly chase after them, completely ignoring his injuries and training for the exams.

'So much for that?' She thought.

Yuki spoke again, choosing his words carefully. "I had been having this funny feeling ever since Kyo started acting weird. So as soon as you guys left, I went to deliver a package from the Hokage to the gate where Shigure and Kakashi were working. Shigure was acting really strange, almost worried, and distracted. When I asked him about it, he wouldn't tell me at first. He just brushed it off like it was nothing and kept looking through his papers. I kept pestering him and Kakashi finally convinced him to tell me." He paused, glancing at Suzaku, who looked utterly confused.

"I ran straight to Tsunade. I must admit, I was a bit outraged. She wasn't very happy with Shigure for telling me, she sort of yelled at him." He chuckled. "He got out of there before she could start throwing punches."

Tohru smiled at this, imagining Shigure's terror as the insanely strong Hokage's rage bore down on him. 'I'm glad he got out of there when he did. He would have landed in the hospital for weeks!'

"Anyway, I convinced her to assign me to this mission as soon as she calmed down a bit." He concluded, reaching up to a tree and picking a leaf off of it, turning it around in his fingers.

Tohru walked next to him. "How did you manage that with your arm still injured? Surely, as a medical ninja, Tsunade would-" She was cut off by a chuckle from Yuki.

"I have my ways." Suzaku, from behind the two teens, burst out laughing. "Quiet cat, all she did was check my arm. It is healing fine, so she said I could go as long as I was careful with it." He held out his injured arm- it was now unbandaged and, although thinner than usual, looked perfectly fine. He even wiggled his fingers to prove this. "Plus, Miss Honda is here, and if I have any pain in it she can check it out."

Tohru opened her mouth to protest but Suzaku cut in, squeezing in between Tohru's legs and turning to face the two teens.

"Can somebody please tell me what is going on? What is this "real mission" you two are talking about!? "

Yuki turned to Tohru, still twiddling the leaf in between his fingers. "Miss Honda, you haven't told him?"

She shook her head, feeling a little guilty about lying to the poor cat. "Before we left the temple, Kyo told me not to tell him. He didn't want Suzaku to freak out and end up hurt by the explosion."

Yuki slowly nodded. "I can understand that. I wouldn't want my summoning to get hurt, either. However, Suzaku is going to pester us until he finds out. We're far enough away from the temple. He won't get hurt."

Suzaku now was even more confused. He jumped, putting his front paws on Tohru's leg, almost standing, and looked up at her. "E...explosion? Nobody said anything about an explosion. When is Kyo coming back? He'll tell me what you guys are hiding."

Yuki dropped down to Suzaku's level. The cat pushed off of Tohru's legs and faced him. "Suzaku, Kyo didn't want us to tell you because he didn't want you to worry about him. He's..." he turned away for a moment, flicking the leaf into the stream, "He's been assigned a suicide mission."

The cat backed up away from Yuki, straight into Tohru's legs. "Damn rat, I don't believe you." He turned around, looking up at Tohru. "Tohru, please, tell him he's wrong. Kyo would never accept that kind of mission. He...he was fine just ten minutes ago! Tell him, Tohru." His voice shook with anxiety.

Tohru knelt down, petting the cat on the head. "I'm afraid I can't say that. This mission wasn't one that he could turn down. That's why...that's why we said goodbye before we left the temple."

Suzaku held his mouth open, mortified and shocked. "You mean, he was just told, 'Kyo, you're going to die on this mission.' and there's nothing anyone could do about it?"

Tohru looked away. Two days ago she had felt the same way, spoken the same exact words. However, she learned that words alone couldn't do anything to change the situation.

Suzaku continued, becoming even more frustrated. "He's just going to die, all alone, hoping we made it back safely while he never would? That... that's just sick. Are you serious...Tohru?" She shook her head, still looking away. She couldn't speak.

He spun around to face Yuki. "Yuki, please, we've got to do something."

The teen lifted his head, starting straight into Suzaku's maroon eyes. "There's nothing we can do."

Suzaku narrowed his eyes, and then turned away at a steady walk. "If you guys think I'm just going to sit here and let him die, then you're wrong."

Yuki got up and hid the documents Tohru had given him under some rocks. "They'll be safe here until we come back for them" and started running after Suzaku with Tohru following at his heels.

"Listen Suzaku, we've tried, we really have!" Tohru begged him.

The cat did not reply, but started at a run back towards the temple. Yuki and Tohru quickly followed after.

* * *

Kyo had watched as Tohru and his summoning left the clearing. They had sent long shadows cascading across his vision in the lamplight. Now, it was just him, alone with his shadow, Tohru's lucky cat necklace, and Shigure's scroll.

He glanced down at the small scroll in his hand. Shigure had said that this was his only way to be spared. However, no one knew if whatever the scroll held would actually work or not. 'Sucks if it doesn't.' Thought Kyo, as he wrapped his hand around the scroll so the edges barely showed.

He felt a soft breeze, causing the trees to sway back and forth, almost making him dizzy. To avoid looking at the trees, he instead faced up. The half-moon shone above him, uncovered by the canopy of the trees. Stars twinkled around it, lighting the sky. He closed his eyes and let out a long, exasperated sigh.

'Tohru and Suzaku should be out of range by now. She'll be safe.' He thought, and slowly walked towards the door. He paused at the door, and, as curiosity had gotten the better of him, opened the scroll.

Inside, as he expected, was a seal. He quickly released it, although his hands were shaking. From cold, fear, or just pure exhaustion Kyo would never know. As soon as he released the seal, the scroll vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving behind a small, orange pill.

Instead of relief about the pill that could save his life, annoyance at Shigure and Tsunade instead filled Kyo's mind. 'I know Tsunade is a medical ninja and all, but really? She knows I hate swallowing pills. Also, why the hell does the pill have to be orange!? As if my hair isn't enough...' He just imagined Shigure smiling his stupid grin, laughing at Kyo's face when he saw the color.

"It matches your hair, Kyo! We made it orange just for you. Look, there's a little cat engraved in it too!"

Shigure would do that.

Although there was no cat engraved in the pill, Kyo was sure that perverted dog would have found a way to do it if he had the time.

Well, he would have, if the situation were completely different from the situation Kyo was in right now. He had tried to keep the fact that in less than ten minutes he was going to die out of his mind. Now it slowly crept forward, taking over his thoughts. He looked once more at the small cat necklace around his neck and almost believed Tohru's story that it was truly a lucky cat.

"This is it." He said aloud, and opened the large, wooden door into the temple.

Alarms greeted his ears, and automatic lights turned on. Kyo barely noticed, his mind was focused on running. He stopped when he saw a sealed paper bomb on the wall to his right.

'If this one blows, the other should be triggered to do the same.'

He closed his eyes again as a feeling of dread crept in the pit of his stomach. He took a shaky breath and tried to be as calm as he could. He hadn't gone through all that training as a ninja for nothing. All thoughts elsewhere, he opened his hand, grabbed the pill, popped it in his mouth and swallowed it. There was no time to think afterward; Shigure had said to blow the place up as soon as he took the pill.

A weird kind of energy surged through his body, but Kyo was focused on making the correct hand signs with shaky hands. Finally, he stopped.

'Tohru...I....'

All was quiet for a second. Then, the world as he knew it exploded into pieces.

* * *

"Suzaku!" Yuki and Tohru simultaneously yelled.

The cat ignored them, racing through the trees at full speed. "I don't care what you guys say, I can't let him die."

"You don't understand! There was nothing we could have done! Anyway, we're too close, if we get any closer we could be seriously injured. " Tohru yelled after him.

Suzaku stopped mid-leap, skidding to a halt. He turned to face Tohru when she and Yuki caught up. "No, Tohru, you don't understand. What happened to the always happy and optimistic Tohru? Why did you give up?"

She was taken aback. "I... I haven't given up. Even right now, I'm hoping and praying that he makes it through alive. Even though my brain tells me it's not possible, my heart tells me to hope."

His gaze softened. "Now that's better. Yuki." he turned to the teen, "You of all people should understand why I can't let him die. We share a bond, unique to the Sohma family, with summons that, if broken, is extremely painful."

"Suzaku." Yuki started, "I know where you're coming from, but we have to be realistic. Kyo..."

Suddenly, the earth shook around them and they heard a loud booming noise close by. Tohru screamed and covered her face, Yuki fell into a tree, and Suzaku started running forward, screaming Kyo's name.

Another blast sent them all tumbling to the ground. Yuki crawled to Tohru, blocking her as the wake of the blast hit them, knocking over trees and throwing debris into the air.

When the smoke finally cleared, the whole forest was in shambles. Smoke and dust still lingered, turning the sky a yellowish-orange in color. Trees lay flat, others were stripped of bark in some areas. Yuki lifted his head up, coughing, and let Tohru sit up as well. Both were covered with tiny scratches from flying debris.

They looked ahead, less than a mile away was the spot where the explosion had occurred. Yuki got up and carefully picked Suzaku up; the cat lay unconscious on top of a fallen tree.

"Is he okay?" Tohru asked, still sitting on the ground.

"He's just knocked out. He should be fine." Yuki answered.

Tohru stood up, brushed herself off, and immediately started sprinting as fast as she could towards the explosion site, with Yuki at her heels.

'Kyo- if you're there, alive, we will find you. No matter what!'

**I'm sorry if there are any grammar or spelling errors- I tried to proofread it but it's really late right now O.o It's kind of a cliffhanger but not a big huge one. **

**Please review! You have no idea (or maybe you do) how much reviews motivate me to keep writing! Thanks for reading and review review review!!**

**By the way, thanks Kyo for posting this story on Facebook :D**


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